Dust Motes (for the micro story)
They stepped into the yard together, tall, well-built elezen and smaller, petite au ra. She gestured grandly as she spun around, pointing out features. The garden trellises, the deck built over the top of the fence, the outdoor hot springs bath. Silvestre’s eyes glanced over these superficial things and studied the structure itself, looking for cracks in the foundation or around the windows.
He startled the agent as he took a good leap into the air and landed atop the roof, testing the tiles with his boots. While up there, he looked into the gutters for leaf debris or other blockages. Then back down again while the poor agent inhaled and exhaled to calm herself.
“It’s a lovely view from here, don’t you think?” she asked as she forced a smile on her face again. “It isn’t very often property in Shirogane opens up, you know. Shall we look inside?”
He nodded and she produced a key, unlocking the door and opening it. A loud groan as the door protested movement made her wince visibly. Silvestre reached out and tested it, moving it back and forth to determine what was creaking. The agent grabbed his arm and yanked him inside as best she could.
“The previous owner, who is having me sell this for him, moved back to Ul’dah. He used the upstairs to greet guests and have small social gatherings.”
Silvestre looked up at the windows, where vines and plants wound around. Wilted now, no one had watered them in some time. The sun streamed in brightly, however, lighting up dust motes that danced in the air where they hovered. The rest of the room sported a fish tank, now empty, and a loft accessible by a rickety ladder he’d need to replace, too.
He felt the agent tugging his hand again and let her lead him to the stairwell and down to the second floor.
“This was used as his living quarters while he had business in Kugane,” she explained.
Silvestre narrowed his eyes, inspecting the hardwood flooring. Picking up a marble from his pocket, he rolled it across and watched it end up sliding to the right of where they stood. “Foundation issues.”
She smiled at him tightly. “Oh? I see. Craftsman are you?”
“I’m a blacksmith, and I also do carpentry.”
He swore he could see a bead of sweat on her temple appear suddenly. “Ah, noble professions, both of those! Now, the owner of this house has asked me to sell it quickly. But that’s not really an issue here in Shirogane. As I said, houses here are considered a premium.”
“How much is he asking?” Silvestre asked.
“Ten million gil,” she beamed up at him.
Silvestre pondered that for a long moment. Long enough that her smile began to wane and she tilted her head, wondering if he’d heard her.
“Three million,” he finally said.
She blinked, then laughed. “I could sell it for twice what I’m asking to another buyer!”
“The foundation has cracks on the outside, which is clear from the way the floors down here buckle a bit. The plants upstairs have died, I’ll need to replace them all. The gutters are so full of gunk I will probably have to just replace them, especially since I saw rust. The roof hasn’t been repaired or replaced it in a decade or more and a good storm or two will probably rip it off. Lastly, the ladder leading up to the loft looks like it’ll buckle under my weight, which is probably why you brought me down here as fast as you could.”
The auri woman stared up at him, her smile trembling as she tried so hard to keep it plastered on her face.
“Three million would be just fine, sir.”
